Evaluating Yang Guifei from a Historical Perspective

A coup that led to the decline of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, a most beautiful woman in the Tang Dynasty, a love affair between the emperor and peerless beauty, and a mystery of life and death that could not be solved for thousands of years.

In 756 AD, a massive coup led to the decline of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, which was the famous "An Shi Rebellion" in history. In 756 AD, in July of 14, the rebel army led by An Lushan invaded Chang 'an on a large scale, and Tang Xuanzong, who received a tip-off, led the concubines and personal imperial guards to flee hastily overnight. The next day, the fleeing team arrived at Maweipo, Shaanxi. At this moment, the accompanying soldiers suddenly rose up and rebelled, and Yang, the prime minister of the dynasty, died on the spot in the army. Later, the rebel soldiers pointed their anger at Yang's sister, Yang Guifei, the most beloved person of Tang Xuanzong, and the most beautiful woman in the Tang Dynasty. The 70-year-old emperor Li Longji finally failed to save the life of his beloved princess, and a generation of beautiful women died on the desolate Mawei slope.

A year later, the massive Anshi rebellion finally subsided. In the palace of the Tang dynasty, there were one after another prayers. Su Zong, the son of Xuanzong, ascended the throne, and Xuanzong abdicated and became the emperor's father.

This summer, on a moonlit night, several mysterious people suddenly appeared on the desolate Mawei slope. They quietly dug up the grave where Yang Guifei was buried. What are these people looking for?

Professor Wang Yanping, an expert in ancient history at Sichuan University, has a very detailed understanding of this history. Interview: Professor Wang: At that time, it was recorded that after the tomb was opened, the skin was rotten, which means that the body was broken. It was more than a year, a year and a half, because Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty returned to Chang 'an in early February of 757, 65438+, which was already a year and a half later. After a year and a half, this institution is not. By consulting historical materials, people found records about the mysterious grave robbery that year. When Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty returned to Chang 'an, he secretly ordered eunuchs to rebury the imperial concubine, but those who went to rebury said that the body of the imperial concubine had disappeared and only brought back the sachet that she had carried with her before her death.

Just after the grave robbery, a shocking anecdote happened in Chang 'an. Yang Guifei's body disappeared, and Yang Guifei may not be dead. How did the body of the imperial concubine disappear? It's puzzling.

Looking through the historical materials, people found most records of Yang Guifei's death in the Mawei incident: the chronicle of Xuanzong recorded that "Lux was ordered to give her the imperial concubine to hang herself", and it was also found in Yang Taizhen's biography that hanging seems to be the most historical record, and the imperial concubine did hang herself. At that time, in the critical situation of war and chaos, "the four armies did not send out" and "the thieves were still there."

Does the thief here refer to Yang Guifei herself? Why do the rebels have so much hatred for Yang Guifei to kill her? As the ruler of the Tang Dynasty, why was Emperor Xuanzong willing to put his favorite imperial concubine to death? People are even more puzzled about these. Is it the best ending for Yang Guifei to die in Maweipo?

Interview with Professor Wang: Although the reasons for the Anshi Rebellion are very complicated, one of the most important reasons is that the politics of Xuanzong in the late Tang Dynasty went to corruption, which means that the corrupt politics of Xuanzong in the Tang Dynasty should be directly responsible for the Anshi Rebellion. To some extent, the change of Ma Su was actually a rash move against the corrupt politics of Xuanzong in the late Tang Dynasty. When he was indiscreet about corrupt politics, Yang Yuhuan actually took the place of Xuanzong.

As we all know, Yang Guifei is regarded as one of the four beauties in ancient times. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was very fond of Yang Guifei, who was equivalent to a queen at that time. In August 745, Yang Yuhuan, the daughter-in-law of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, was officially canonized as Yang Guifei. From then on, she and Tang Xuanzong staged a vigorous love affair.

Yang Guifei's beauty is undoubtedly rare, but it is Tang Xuanzong who loves Yang Guifei deeply and has supreme power, but he can't save her life at a critical moment.

Interview with Professor Wang: Gao Lishi advised that the current situation is that Yang is dead, the imperial concubine is here, the soldier who killed Yang is uneasy, the soldier is uneasy, your majesty is uneasy, the soldier is safe, and your majesty is safe. Gao Lishi explained the essence of the problem in a euphemistic tone, that is to say, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty could not leave Yang Yuhuan and Yang Yuhuan, which might affect the safety of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty.

Tang Xuanzong, who was in his 70s, had no choice but to put Yang Guifei to death to save his whole body. According to the records of the new and old Tang books, Yang Guifei voluntarily agreed to lay down her life in Maweipo, which was in critical condition at that time. Yang Guifei asked to go to the Buddhist temple next to the post station before her death, so she was later hanged in the Buddhist temple. After the death of the imperial concubine, she was wrapped in a purple mattress and hastily buried on the soil slope next to the Buddhist temple. From then on, this peerless beauty lay alone on the desolate Mawei slope.

According to this inference, Yang Guifei should have hanged herself on the critical Maweipo. But why didn't people who were reburied two years later find her body? Why do people spread the shocking anecdote that Yang Guifei's body may be missing and Guifei may not be dead?

Regarding the mysterious tomb robbery, people found two different records of the new and old Tang books when looking for historical materials. The old Tang book said that the skin was bad, but the sachet was still there. However, there is only one thing in the New Tang Book: the sachet is still there. In other words, only the sachet, less the body of the imperial concubine.

Why are there such differences in the records of new and old Tang books? Could it be that the author made a mistake and ignored the record of "bad skin"? If according to the old Tang book, the skin can be reburied when it is rotten, why did the eunuch who went to rebury only bring back the sachet that the imperial concubine carried with her?

People wonder if the body of the imperial concubine was stolen by grave robbers. However, this statement seems to be difficult to establish. At the critical moment at that time, the people wouldn't know where Yang Guifei was buried quickly, and the body was just hastily buried without any funerary objects. If it was done by a grave robber, Yang Guifei would not have left the sachet with her.

So which of the new and old Tang books is the most accurate? The Old Tang Book is a record of the Tang Dynasty, and the New Tang Book was written by people in the Song Dynasty based on the Old Tang Book. According to common sense, the old Tang book should be particularly credible, but if this is the case, the important record of "bad skin" should not be deleted in the New Tang Book. Such an omission has to make future generations wonder. It seems unreasonable that the wish of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty to rebury Yang Guifei was not realized.